by Curtis Chong, Director of Technology
National Federation of the Blind
If you cannot read your computer screen because of your vision, in addition to the basic computer, you will need to add software called screen access technology. You should start by purchasing a computer that runs the Windows operating system. The following specifications can be used as a guide to determine which built-in features you should get for your new system:
at least 128 megabytes of RAM (random access memory), at least 8 gigabytes of hard disk space, an internal 56K modem with V.90 capability, no less than a 500 megahertz processor speed (it would be hard to find anything slower these days), and a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live Value Edition card.
While almost any video card will work with today's crop of screen access software, the blind person using speech output should bear in mind that the more-sophisticated three-dimensional card used for video games is not necessary.
Why do you need the Sound Blaster Live Value Edition? You will need a multi-channel sound card that will allow screen access technology and other Windows applications to generate sounds at the same time. Without a multi-channel sound card such as the Sound Blaster Live Value Edition, sounds generated by Real Audio or by Windows often conflict with the ability of your screen access program to talk to you through your computer's speakers, and one or the other will generate an error message. In our experience, the Sound Blaster Live Value Edition works well as a multi-channel sound card. However, you can acquire another multi-channel sound card if you wish.
As for software, you will obviously need the Windows operating system. These days, when you buy a new computer, Windows XP will be installed on it. While this operating system is supported by screen access technology for the blind, some people have expressed the desire to use one of the older operating systems such as Windows Millennium or 2000. At this juncture, you should know that from the standpoint of nonvisual access, Windows XP is a relatively new operating system and therefore may require some extra work on your part to ensure that the correct screen access program is installed for it.
Email and web browsing software (Outlook Express and Internet Explorer, respectively) come free with the Windows operating system, but you only get a fairly simplified word processor (WordPad for Windows) for free. While you can use WordPad to write letters and other simple documents, you may want to consider buying Microsoft Office if you are interested in spell-checking your material.
A word processor that works fairly well with screen access technology is Microsoft Word. Some computer dealers will try to bundle a package called Microsoft Works with your system. While we cannot say for certain that Microsoft Works is not compatible with screen access technology for the blind, we can say that our experience with it is limited and that we are more confident in the ability of Microsoft Office to work with access technology than Microsoft Works.
The next item of software that must be given serious consideration is a screen access program. Most blind people would prefer to acquire one which converts the information on the screen into speech. Others will want screen magnification software, and yet others will want a combination of speech output and screen magnification. Please read the attached sheet for information about how to contact the appropriate screen access technology vendor. Suffice it to say that the two leading speech-based screen access programs for the blind are JAWS for Windows from Freedom Scientific and Window-Eyes from GW Micro. Each program has its own unique set of features, but both provide access to a wide variety of Windows applications.
If you want your computer to be able to read and speak printed material, you will need to buy a piece of hardware called a scanner (for about $200), and a software product which speaks the text on the page. You should be prepared to spend at least a thousand dollars to acquire the blind-friendly systems--especially, if you do not consider yourself to be one of the more proficient users of Windows. There are two noteworthy products to consider: Open Book from Freedom Scientific and Kurzweil 1000 from Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.. Both of these programs come with their own speech and can thus operate without screen access technology.
In addition to the staff of the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind has thousands of members who are willing and able to answer your questions. I urge you to call the president of the NFB affiliate in your state and introduce yourself to him or her. If you do not know how to reach your NFB state affiliate president, call our general information staff in Baltimore at (410) 659-9314 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).
Now, for those who want large print. We are not experts on low-vision software but have heard good things about Zoomtext from Ai Squared and Magic from Freedom Scientific. The former is good for those of you who want screen magnification first with a little speech to supplement what you see on the screen. For those of you who want speech output most of the time but need some visual verification every once in awhile, the combination of JAWS for Windows and Magic seems to work well.
Sometimes, people new to using computers hire someone to build them a system, and this can include lessons which teach the buyer how to get started once the computer is assembled and ready for use. Such experts often know how to buy good basic equipment during sales or at a reduced rate over the Internet. If you know some blind computer experts, you can ask what they would charge as their fee, in addition to the cost of the computer parts. Remember that sighted experts may be able to help you to build a computer but are unlikely to know how to teach you to use keyboard commands instead of the mouse. Finding blind computer users in your area to help you through the early days of learning to use your new system can make all the difference between a successful or a dismal computer buying experience.
At present, the average cost for a full system can be broken down like this:
$1,200: Intel-based computer with Windows operating system
$1,000: Reading (Optical Character Recognition) software
$ 800: Screen Access Technology
$ 200: A typical commercial scanner
$ 200: A typical commercial color printer
$ 300: Estimated: state tax, an electrical power surge protector, computer supplies (printer paper, disks, and computer application programs), computer user manuals in Braille or on cassette, Internet service provider fees, ($100 to $200 per year), and other incidentals.
______
$3,500 Best estimate (April, 2002)
JAWS for Windows by Freedom Scientific
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805
Telephone: (800) 444-4443 and (727) 803-8000
Fax: (727) 803-8001
E-mail: info@hj.com
Website: http://www.freedomscientific.com
JAWS for Windows ($895) provides speech and Braille access to Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium and Windows XP, Home Edition. There is another version of JAWS for Windows ($1,195) that provides access to the above operating systems as well as to Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP Professional. JAWS for Windows is shipped with the Eloquence software speech synthesizer, meaning that it can generate speech through your computer's sound card.
Window-Eyes by GW Micro
725 Airport North Office Park
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
Telephone: (219) 489-3671
Fax: (219) 489-2608
BBS: (219) 489-5281
Website: http://www.gwmicro.com
Window-Eyes ($595) provides speech and Braille access to Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium. Window-Eyes Professional ($795) provides access to these operating systems as well as Windows 2000 and XP.
Kurzweil 1000 by Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.
14 Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730-1402
Telephone: (800) 894-5374 or (781) 276-0600
E-mail: info@kurzweiledu.com
Website: http://www.kurzweiledu.com
Kurzweil 1000 is a self-voicing program which converts printed text into speech, using a commercially-available scanner.
Open Book by Freedom Scientific
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805
Telephone: (800) 444-4443 and (727) 803-8000
Fax: (727) 803-8001
E-mail: info@hj.com
Website: http://www.freedomscientific.com
Open Book ($995) is a self-voicing program which converts printed text into
speech, using a commercially-available scanner.